Graduate Program
Speech-Language Pathology

The graduate program in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Northern Iowa, an American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Council of Academic Accreditation (CAA) accredited program, provides for advanced educational training in assessment and treatment of speech, language, and hearing disorders. Further, it has been designated as one of three enhanced graduate programs on the UNI campus. Course work and experiential learning experiences meet or exceed the current requirements for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) as defined by ASHA. The faculty and staff of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders recognize the need to provide a quality program to meet the needs of students. The department is committed to providing learning opportunities and activities which enable students to develop into skilled and accomplished professionals. The department is proud of its low student/faculty ratio which allows for close contact between students and professors.

Graduate Education in Speech-Language Pathology at UNI Stresses the development of: an increased student interest and knowledge base within the area of communication and its related disorders, independent critical thinking skills necessary for the effective evaluation and management of a broad range of communicatively impaired individuals, clinical skills to effectively manage individuals with a broad range of communicative impairments, interpersonal skills necessary to function as a contributor to an interdisciplinary rehabilitation team, and an increased awareness of professional ethics and issues.

To learn more about this degree program, choose from a topic below.

Admission Procedures:
Students who are interested in admission to the graduate program in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Northern Iowa may apply for Fall (August), or Spring (January) Semester entry. Admission deadlines are January 20 for Fall admission and September 15 for Spring Semester admission. Prospective students must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). Students must submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended for completion of their baccalaureate degree. Original transcripts must be sent directly from the undergraduate institution(s); transcripts sent by applicants in any other form cannot be accepted. Students complete one Application for Admission to Graduate Study at UNI through the Graduate College for admission to speech-language pathology. Alternately students may apply using the CSDCAS Centralized Application Service. The Graduate College admission form is available online (Online Graduate College Application). Applying for admission to the Graduate College is not sufficient for admission into the graduate program in speech-language pathology. The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders additionally requires that prospective students submit their results from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), complete a Clinical Training and Experience form, and send three (3) letters of recommendation and a Letter of Application prior to the application deadline. Further instructions are available in the following documents:

Application to UNI's graduate program in speech-language pathology

Supplemental forms for students using the centralized application (CSDCAS) system

Supplemental forms for students applying directly through the UNI Graduate College

International students must fill out the International Application for Admission, and follow unique steps for their admission. For additional information for international students, choose the following link:

Graduate College Information for International Students

If you have any questions, please contact:

Barbara Oltman

Office Coordinator
Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders
230 Communication Arts Center
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0356

Phone: (319) 273-2496

Fax: (319) 273-6384

Email: Barbara.Oltman@UNI.EDU

Graduation Requirements:
The graduate major in Speech-Language Pathology includes 30-34 credit hours of academic course work, 1-6 hours of research or thesis, and a 4-16 hour internship. In addition, students must complete a minimum of 375 clock hours of supervised clinical experience as required by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology. Students may select a thesis or non-thesis option upon consultation with their research and graduate advisors. For students who have completed an undergraduate degree in Communicative Disorders with coursework similar to that offered at UNI, graduate academic course work, clinical practica, and internship experience ordinarily take four semesters and one summer to complete.

Academic Courses: Download Required Graduate Courses Worksheet (.pdf)

Sample Schedule:

Clinical Practica:
The Master of Arts degree in Speech-Language Pathology is oriented toward the achievement of clinical competence and certification by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Both assessment and treatment of speech, language, and hearing disorders are conducted by students and faculty in the University of Northern Iowa's Roy Eblen Speech and Hearing Clinic and at a variety of satellite centers. Clinical experiences include assignments on diagnostic teams, language group therapy, instruction of multiply handicapped children, and working with children and adults with organic and functional disorders of communication. Graduates are prepared to provide services to speech, language, and hearing impaired persons in various educational and clinical settings.

Research Requirement:
The Master of Arts degree in Speech-Language Pathology includes a research requirement where each student seeking a master's degree must conduct a research project or a thesis. There are three options for completing the research requirement: (1) research thesis, which is a detailed empirical project (meaning the student will gather data using subjects). The remaining two options are non-thesis projects: (2) empirical project (subjects are used, but the research is not as detailed as a thesis); (3) non-empirical (non-traditional) project (example: preparation of a clinical training video-tape).

CAA Accreditation and Complaint Procedures:
The graduate program in speech-language pathology is accredited by the Council of Academic Accreditation (CAA). General contact information for CAA is listed below:

Council of Academic Accreditation (Link to the CAA Website)
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
2200 Research Blvd.
Rockville, Maryland 20850-3289
Telephone (301) 296-5700
Non-Member: (800) 638-8255
Fax: (301) 296-8580

The CAA has established "Complaint Procedures" for individuals (e.g., students, instructional staff, speech-language pathologists, or other members of the public) to report concerns related to the Standards for Accreditation of Graduate Programs. To view these procedures, select the following link: "VIII. Complaint Procedures." Students with general academic concerns should consult UNI Grievance Procedures in chapter 12 of the university's policies and procedures manual.

Graduate Student Funding:
Please visit our "Students and Alumni Page" for individual scholarships.Graduate student funding is provided by the University of Northern Iowa Graduate College, based on the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders graduate admission committee's recommendation, and comes in the form of Tuition Scholarships and Graduate Assistantships.

Graduate Tuition Scholarships:

A student receiving a tuition scholarship must be enrolled full-time in residence (9 or more credit hours per semester) and must maintain a minimum of 3.0 GPA in the program of study. Tuition scholarships cover the cost of the student's tuition during the period of the scholarship award.

Graduate Assistantships:

Graduate assistantships are awarded to qualified students who are full time students in residence during the period of the awarded assistantship. Students awarded a full-time assistantship are given work assignments not to exceed 20 hours per week.

Program Highlights:

• Caring, knowledgeable, and available faculty within the department.
• Modern technology-equipped classroom located in the department.
• Courses in the major are taught by faculty involved in their professions at the national level.
• Considerable experiential learning (clinical practice) opportunities:
  • Involves both faculty and peer mentoring.
  • Modern well-equipped on-campus Roy Eblen Speech and Hearing Clinic.
  • A variety of possible off-campus practicum experiences for graduate students.
  • Faculty provide clinical supervision in their areas of expertise to better integrate classroom and clinic based instruction.
• Departmental computer laboratory:
  • Teaching/Learning Lab with multiple (12) computer stations.
• Opportunities for graduate student research.
  • All graduate students complete a research project or thesis; students are encouraged to present or publish their research at local, state, and national levels.
  • Modern well-equipped Sertoma Research Laboratory which is available for graduate student research.
• Modern facilities and state-of-the-art technology.
• Opportunities to gain additional knowledge in specific area of interest via the certificate of emphasis.
• Broad opportunities to acquire additional skills in hospital and school settings as part of an externship experience.

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